Give money to panhandlers?

[PeteZaHut]

My theology teacher has some nice tips for these situations. He said that if someone comes up to you outside a McDonald’s and asks for money to get something to eat, don’t just give them money, tell them to come inside with you and you will buy them something, or that you will buy it and bring it out to them. That way, there is no risk of the person squandering your money.

Also, he said you can find homeless shelters and keep their phone numbers with you to give to homeless people.

 

[johnnydigit]

a friend who was a live-in volunteer at the Catholic Worker convinced me - always give what you can because you can’t assume what that person is about and what they will do with it.

if you have time, talk to the person. get them some food. help them. if you don’t have time, which most of us don’t, then give them some money. don’t assume they are lying, will buy drugs, or will squander it (if you had the time to get to know them, you could find out and help them). so give and let God handle the rest. take a breath and smile because you did God’s will and served Jesus.

========

on a side note, remember not to have the mentality, “well they should get a job!” many of them suffer from some sort of mental illness, whether it be as small as mild depression or as severe as schizophrenia or worse. they are on a spiral downhill and simply cannot pull themselves out of their rut (hint: they need you, they need Jesus). think of a drug addict, alcoholic, or gambler… so they’re like a homeless-aholic.

God doesn’t ask you to fix them, so just help them one moment at a time.

 

[blessedtoo]

I think you have twisted the words of Christ. Christ exhorts us to feed the poor. He does not exhort us to send them to someone else. We are the instruments of Christs love, not some charity. It is about persons, not charities. You yourself should love your neighbor not some charitable organization.

No, you are not encouraging them to live on the street. You are showing the love of Christ. It is not our job to think up some sylogism that will say you shouldn’t give, we are to sumply give because Christ is in that person.

The “charitable organization” to which I refer them IS the Church, of which I am a member.

In my city, every neighborhood Parish has a soup kitchen and in the downtown area, two well equipped shelters. I support these ministries both financially and through donation of my time.

Christ did not throw coins or food to the poor and lonely and leave them there on the side of the road. He exhorted them to follow Him. The homeless are rarely on the streets due strictly to financial hardship. Mental illness, addictions, spiritual bankruptcy, etc., are profound problems that will not be addressed by a hamburger at McDonald’s.

 

[Kathrin]

I agree with that: Don’t assume that the person will necessarily do something “bad” with the money. What about the few who actually do need it for something to eat, or for important medication, etc? (or a new pair of socks! Or a bar of soap! Whatever it is they need.)

BUT my problem is: I don’t have money to spare right now. Not really. I do it sometimes anyway and then go without something myself.

But today I had to walk by a panhandler shaking his cup calling out for change without giving him anything, because I still have to do laundry this week which costs money and I need a phone card so i can call my family, and apart from that I have just maybe 4 dollars left for this week, if that.

(And since I budgeted 20 a week I want to give 2 dollars to the church on Sunday. Which is 10 percent.)

Yes I am on my own budget and I COULD borrow some from myself from next week’s budget, but I have realized that I have given so much away that I might be in serious trouble.

So now I have to just walk by sometimes. Especially if there is a panhandler on nearly every corner. i feel really bad about that. Sometimes I tell people I’ll pray for them. But I HAVE to be more careful. A friend gave me change for phone calls, a whole bunch, and I ended up spending most of it for other people, buying a hungy guy some soup.
What do I do?? In such a situation, is it ok to not give to everybody???

 

[johnnydigit]

The “charitable organization” to which I refer them IS the Church, of which I am a member.

In my city, every neighborhood Parish has a soup kitchen and in the downtown area, two well equipped shelters. I support these ministries both financially and through donation of my time.

Christ did not throw coins or food to the poor and lonely and leave them there on the side of the road. He exhorted them to follow Him. The homeless are rarely on the streets due strictly to financial hardship. Mental illness, addictions, spiritual bankruptcy, etc., are profound problems that will not be addressed by a hamburger at McDonald’s.

a lot of them don’t know God and don’t see the purpose of the Church. maybe they are afraid, or have tried with no help, or are ashamed. whatever the reason, illogical or not, telling them to go to the Church doesn’t always work. i have done the same, but i sensed they would ignore it. it seems some evangelization is needed first. perhaps someone to just talk to them…

I agree with that: Don’t assume that the person will necessarily do something “bad” with the money. What about the few who actually do need it for something to eat, or for important medication, etc? (or a new pair of socks! Or a bar of soap! Whatever it is they need.)

BUT my problem is: I don’t have money to spare right now. Not really. I do it sometimes anyway and then go without something myself.

But today I had to walk by a panhandler shaking his cup calling out for change without giving him anything, because I still have to do laundry this week which costs money and I need a phone card so i can call my family, and apart from that I have just maybe 4 dollars left for this week, if that.

(And since I budgeted 20 a week I want to give 2 dollars to the church on Sunday. Which is 10 percent.)

Yes I am on my own budget and I COULD borrow some from myself from next week’s budget, but I have realized that I have given so much away that I might be in serious trouble.

So now I have to just walk by sometimes. Especially if there is a panhandler on nearly every corner. i feel really bad about that. Sometimes I tell people I’ll pray for them. But I HAVE to be more careful. A friend gave me change for phone calls, a whole bunch, and I ended up spending most of it for other people, buying a hungy guy some soup.
What do I do?? In such a situation, is it ok to not give to everybody???

definitely ok and reasonable. a person with a family is not expected to sacrifice the livelihood of his family to support the poor. all in moderation.

like above, perhaps what you can do is just talk to them. they need human contact and comfort, too. maybe that kind word is what they need to make it through the day… or you could be that first person to just lend an ear to hear their problems. you can even work in some evangelization and give them real food from heaven.

“hey how’s it going? what happened, why are you here? i’m sorry, i pray things will get better for you. would you like me to bring something for you to eat next time? here you go, this is called a Rosary. doesn’t the local church serve lunch at noon? do you have a jacket? a blanket? i think i might have a spare…”

 

[Saint_Gemma]

a lot of them don’t know God and don’t see the purpose of the Church. maybe they are afraid, or have tried with no help, or are ashamed. whatever the reason, illogical or not, telling them to go to the Church doesn’t always work. i have done the same, but i sensed they would ignore it. it seems some evangelization is needed first. perhaps someone to just talk to them…

definitely ok and reasonable. a person with a family is not expected to sacrifice the livelihood of his family to support the poor. all in moderation.

**like above, perhaps what you can do is just talk to them. they need human contact and comfort, too. maybe that kind word is what they need to make it through the day… or you could be that first person to just lend an ear to hear their problems. you can even work in some evangelization and give them real food from heaven.

“hey how’s it going? what happened, why are you here? i’m sorry, i pray things will get better for you. would you like me to bring something for you to eat next time? here you go, this is called a Rosary. doesn’t the local church serve lunch at noon? do you have a jacket? a blanket? i think i might have a spare…”**

St. Gemma Galgani would often times just listen to and talk to people when she had nothing that she could give them.

 

[Neil_Anthony]

When a stranger on the street says to you “spare change. spare change.” how do you go about approaching them and finding out what kind of help they need? I have difficulty striking up conversations with strangers (or even people I know) so I’m not sure how to handle it without making a nuisance of myself to the panhandler.

Is it ok to stop and ask why they need change? Or is that too personal a thing to ask a stranger?

 

[Al_Masetti]

When a stranger on the street says to you “spare change. spare change.” how do you go about approaching them and finding out what kind of help they need? I have difficulty striking up conversations with strangers (or even people I know) so I’m not sure how to handle it without making a nuisance of myself to the panhandler.

Is it ok to stop and ask why they need change? Or is that too personal a thing to ask a stranger?

Just say “sorry, pal”, and keep moving.

If you pass that way regularly, observe.

You may find that some of the panhandlers have their regular “spot”. If you can, strike up a conversation with the local pastor or one of the priests to get the “lay of the land” so to speak.

Or call and ask if there is anything you can donate to the local church to help with their ministry.

Unless you are a trained social worker, it might be better to let the assistance be taken care of by professionals.

[A while back, a friend observed someone trying to help a panhandler, writing down their name and making promises of getting help to the poor man. My friend told me that the panhandler was a regular and was mightily annoyed at all the conversation. The “earnest helper” was costing the panhandler a LOT of money with all that time lost to “unnecessary conversation”. My friend said it was a hoot.]

**

 

[RunningLawyer]

Here is my philosophy. If I am approached, and do have money on me, I will generally give a dollar. I don’t particularly care what the person does with the dollar once I give it to him/her.

If the person needed the money for food, then I certainly did the right thing.

If the person scammed me, that person will suffer in the long run, but my conscience remains clear. After all, what’s a few bucks?

So either way, giving the person money, without conditions, seems to be taking the high moral road to my way of thinking. But that is just my own opinion. Do on to others as you would have them do on to you.

 

[Kathrin]

like above, perhaps what you can do is just talk to them. they need human contact and comfort, too. maybe that kind word is what they need to make it through the day… or you could be that first person to just lend an ear to hear their problems. you can even work in some evangelization and give them real food from heaven.

“hey how’s it going? what happened, why are you here? i’m sorry, i pray things will get better for you. would you like me to bring something for you to eat next time? here you go, this is called a Rosary. doesn’t the local church serve lunch at noon? do you have a jacket? a blanket? i think i might have a spare…”

I do do that. I have gone all over the city to get a free blanket for somebody. I am known to collect stuiff to give out to the needy. Or sometimes if I had money to spare I have bought stuff like that. i do care a lot about those people. I volunteer at an outreach center too.

I am just worried about that “give to everyone who asks”, you know?

 

[Kathrin]

Is it ok to stop and ask why they need change? Or is that too personal a thing to ask a stranger?

I have done this. And have gotten different responses. It depends on the situation I think.

 

[johnnydigit]

Just say “sorry, pal”, and keep moving.

is that what Jesus would do?

Or call and ask if there is anything you can donate to the local church to help with their ministry.

sounds reasonable, but what about the guy in front of you? that’s the topic at hand…

Unless you are a trained social worker, it might be better to let the assistance be taken care of by professionals.

you don’t have to be a professional to talk to someone. if they are severely mentally unstable, then once they start speaking or acting oddly then you’ll know what to do. this is when an expert could handling things better and you can just pray for them.

[A while back, a friend observed someone trying to help a panhandler, writing down their name and making promises of getting help to the poor man. My friend told me that the panhandler was a regular and was mightily annoyed at all the conversation. The “earnest helper” was costing the panhandler a LOT of money with all that time lost to “unnecessary conversation”. My friend said it was a hoot.]

**

again, what would Jesus do? not everyone is prepared to do what Jesus would do. of course if it’s late at night and you’re a female, then it’s understandable to try and get home safe.

so again, within your means and within reasonable limits. if you’re intimidated just by a homeless man’s looks, then it’s not your fault. perhaps you can pray for some courage to not fear someone who may be the nicest person ever in broad daylight.

===========

regarding churches and clergy - when i was in Italy, i noticed a lot of gypsies and homeless people around churches. what made me sad were all the people and religious/clergy ignoring them. i didn’t know what the situation was, and i couldn’t find out why, so i just gave them my snacks. i thought they would just put it away or toss it, but they ate it right away. it wasn’t for me to judge what was going on, only to feed someone who was hungry. even a scammer gets hungry, no?

“treat anyone who comes to your door as if they were Jesus Himself”

 

[Al_Masetti]

is that what Jesus would do?

sounds reasonable, but what about the guy in front of you? that’s the topic at hand…

you don’t have to be a professional to talk to someone. if they are severely mentally unstable, then once they start speaking or acting oddly then you’ll know what to do. this is when an expert could handling things better and you can just pray for them.

again, what would Jesus do? not everyone is prepared to do what Jesus would do. of course if it’s late at night and you’re a female, then it’s understandable to try and get home safe.

so again, within your means and within reasonable limits. if you’re intimidated just by a homeless man’s looks, then it’s not your fault. perhaps you can pray for some courage to not fear someone who may be the nicest person ever in broad daylight.

===========

regarding churches and clergy - when i was in Italy, i noticed a lot of gypsies and homeless people around churches. what made me sad were all the people and religious/clergy ignoring them. i didn’t know what the situation was, and i couldn’t find out why, so i just gave them my snacks. i thought they would just put it away or toss it, but they ate it right away. it wasn’t for me to judge what was going on, only to feed someone who was hungry. even a scammer gets hungry, no?

“treat anyone who comes to your door as if they were Jesus Himself”

Perhaps you didn’t read one of my earlier posts in which I described how one of the panhandlers stabbed a Protestant minister to death because the minister had run out of money. As a result, all of the helping professionals made the decision to not give out any more handouts. They had plenty of soup kitchen, clothing, and other outreach assistance. But no more handouts.

Someone said that these are our fathers and mothers, etc. But the fact is that 80% are either mentally ill (and can only be properly cared for in a proper institution … but certain politicians have deinstitutionalized them) or are burned out on drugs.

You need to be very careful.

Jesus did not demand that we put ourselves in danger to help the poor.

He also wanted for the poor to be actually helped, NOT for the homeless to become a vehicle by which we could do good so as to feel good about ourselves because we did something, which may or may not be helpful.

Let me ask you this: if you could help someone but get absolutely no credit for it, no recognition at all by anyone; AND you would not have any personal connection to the person being helped … would that count as much? would it count less? would it count at all?

And if you didn’t care about any kind of counting, then why not let the professionals provide the appropriate help?

Helping the poor would be far more effective if we worked through an agency that is set up and staffed with professionals and volunteers trained to do that kind of work.

 

[joseph_virgen]

The fact that your conscious bothers you is a wonderfull sign that you are well grounded in the Nazarenes’ teachings. Remember, the Nazarene told us that we will always have the poor amongst us. More importantly God, on ocassions, has a unique way of putting us in situations that forces us to acknowledge the righteousness of our moral code. Blessings.

 

[johnnydigit]

When a stranger on the street says to you “spare change. spare change.” how do you go about approaching them and finding out what kind of help they need? I have difficulty striking up conversations with strangers (or even people I know) so I’m not sure how to handle it without making a nuisance of myself to the panhandler.

Is it ok to stop and ask why they need change? Or is that too personal a thing to ask a stranger?

i used to be a real introvert but really started to come out of my shell when i got active in youth and young adult ministry. the more in love with God i got, the more i sought Him out. it just so happens that when you find God, you meet many of His children as well. i learned that even though i had once thought i would die from a heart attack while giving a speech, it simply takes practice. so with much practice, prayer, and faith that God will take care of you, i don’t really hesitate as much when talking to strangers, especially when the subject is God.

so i dunno, i guess it depends on the situation and environment. maybe pretend he is a friend, what would you say? what if i asked you the same thing, what advice would you give? what if it was Jesus but you couldn’t mention it, what would you say?

for example i dunno, “hey hows it going? i’m john. what’s your name? have you eaten yet? do you want to go with me to get a burger? so how’s life? are you from around here? how did you get here? do you have family? are you staying anywhere? do you know about the local soup kitchens and shelters? so what are you trying to do today?
i see… well maybe i can help you with your problem… i don’t have much, but i can give you ----.”

notice i didn’t come out and say, “hi. uh, what are you going to do with the money?” or “how much do you need? what are you going to do with it?” or “why?”
as you can see it kinda puts them on the defensive.

i guess another way is to just be yourself. if you say the wrong thing, so be it. pray and trust in God. maybe you just need practice. usually the hard part is actually making the choice to start. i find that God is pleased if you just try, rather than how good or bad you do something. God bless!

 

[matthewm]

As far as I am concerned, even if there is only a 1% chance that my couple dollars will be used to buy food and not drugs/alcohol, then that is 1% more good than I would have done by giving nothing.
And if someone is so addicted that they will buy drugs before food, then they will get their hit one way or another. It’s not your business whatsover how a homeless person spends your money- that’s between them and God. So give.

 

[Saint_Gemma]

As far as I am concerned, even if there is only a 1% chance that my couple dollars will be used to buy food and not drugs/alcohol, then that is 1% more good than I would have done by giving nothing.
And if someone is so addicted that they will buy drugs before food, then they will get their hit one way or another. It’s not your business whatsover how a homeless person spends your money- that’s between them and God. So give.

But why not donate to a soup kitchen, where you know that there is a 100% chance that your money will be used for food?

 

[matthewm]

But why not donate to a soup kitchen, where you know that there is a 100% chance that your money will be used for food?

Why not both?

 

[RunningLawyer]

But why not donate to a soup kitchen, where you know that there is a 100% chance that your money will be used for food?

Personally, I donate a lot to various charities. The issue here however is how do you handle someone you encounter on the street?

 

[Saint_Gemma]

Personally, I donate a lot to various charities. The issue here however is how do you handle someone you encounter on the street?

You would refer them to said soup kitchen.